Mitochondrial DNA Testing

[cautiousblue]

Does anyone have any experiences of this?

[skwdvm]

Hi cautiousblue. I have not personally submitted any samples, but know that a sample is achieved by scrapping cheek cells from the inside of one's mouth for 1-2min. with something made of wood (like a spatula)that a DNA testing company would send you. You would next put the sample in a special medium and send it back to the company following their instructions.
If the person submitting a sample is male, he would would order the Y-DNA test. This is because only men have a "Y" chromosome & Y-DNA. Y-DNA is passed from father to son. For example, I could ask either my brother or father to submit a sample for me to find out about my paternal lineage. The sample would get processed and compared to other males whose last name was also "Wong." DNA labs look for common "markers" . The more markers one has in common, the closer the match.
If the person submitting the sample is female, she would order the mtDNA test. Mitochondral DNA is passed down from mother to child. This is the test one would order to find out about their maternal lineage. Once again, I could get either my mother or sister to donate a sample and learn about our maternal lineage. A DNA company would look at genetic markers and try to find matches for the given surname. If my sister or either my mother donated her DNA, I wouldn't have to donate a sample. One would not learn anything new. Both Y-DNA & mtDNA tests tell only about a section of one's ancestry and not all of the ancestors.
National Geographic magazine is involved in a study where a researcher is trying to get people from the US and Canada to donate sample of DNA. The results are supposed to be announced in 10 yrs. It is called the Genome Project. I read in the newspaper that it is temporarily at a halt because some groups are afraid grant money will be taken away from them if the tests results change their ethnic status.
I hope this helps. I took genetics along time ago. I would also recommend Family Tree Magazine October 2006 Volume 7, Issue 5 for more information.

[skwdvm]

The article I read in the Atlanta Journal - Constitution is called " Questions stall DNA tracking plan."
It was written by Amy Harmon of the New York Times. The article appeared in the Sunday paper on December 10, 2006. The researcher's name is Spencer Wells. The issues that are stalling the project are land rights and health care.

[cautiousblue]

Thanks for the info. What I am questioning is the depth of detail which can be gleaned from these tests, especially given that surely most research on Asian populations would have been done by the academic community in China and not in the West ??
I would be most disappointed to get a mitochrondrial DNA test to find it tells me my haplogroups are those commonly found in China (don't need a test to tell me that).
Can one differentiate from DNA testing , say, Japanese people from Northern Chinese people? Can "northern chinese" be broken down further into more subgroups??
Thats why I'd like to hear from anyone who's had a DNA test.

[skwdvm]

I would pose your questions to the DNA companies since they are the "experts." If their answers are not satisfactory, I would not subscribe to their service. I would like to know the answers to your questions. My overall impression is that DNA testing is not that sophisticated yet although DNA is supposed to be unique to each individual except for the identical twins or triplets.
My biology professor used to say that a DNA test would prove Who is not the "father" as apposed to who is. Let us know if you find anything out.

[skwdvm]

I saw an article in the Wall Street Journal on Feb.14.2007 by Dinah Brin. This article is called "Genetic Tests Pose Tailored Care." This article will not help us with genealogy, but is a cutting-edge application of technology. It states that in the future (possibly the next 5- 10 yrs.), doctors will use genetic or molecular tests to tailor a patient's treatment for a particular disease. For example. Harvard Medical school is attempting to find 500 volunteers to participate in a study involving the drug warfarin. Warfarin is a drug used to prevent strokes and bleeding episodes.
Another researcher, Robert Field, thinks that this is personalizing medicine and the use of genetic markers will likely determine who would respond well to a given drug or have adverse effects. He feels that this may save patients from taking unneeded drugs or have to experience
unpleasant side effects. The downside of "personalized medicine" is patient privacy. Lawmakers aare trying to introduce bills in government to prevent discrimination based on genetic data.

[andrewyong]

I have submitted mt-DNA and Y-DNA to the Genographic Project at www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic . It is still being processed but I will let you know what I get from it.

I chose this project because it is a worldwide project that aims to study native populations around the world, and as the database expands, the information on your genetic line will be updated on the website. I think most commercial DNA companies have a lot of European and native American genetic information but little East Asian.

[skwdvm]

There's an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution/ajc.com which appeared on Sunday, Nov. 18,2007. It is called "Genome companies will custom-analyze your DNA." There are 3 companies willing to do so. The 1st is called deCODEme. Their cost is $985.00. This company assesses a person's genome for ancestral origin, disease risks, and physical traits. The 2nd one is called 23andMe. It will be financed by Google. The 3rd one is called Navigenics. It is based out of CA. It focuses on disease genes.

[skwdvm]

Family Tree Magazine will be having a DNA Q& A. The article should be available Jan.15, 2008 from FamilyTreeMagazine.com & from newstands. Maybe there will be an update on the 3 companies listed above & the Genome Project.

[fungfamilysearch]

My wife is Chinese so I do a lot of genealogical research related to her Chinese side but also on my side I have been involved in DNA as a tool for Genealoglical research since 2005. I am a volunteer (unpaid) administrator of the project which has my surname which is Carroll. First of all, I think that DNA testing is GREAT! The company with which I work with is FamilyTreeDNA.
www.familytreedna.com/
Their idea is that if you are a Carroll, a Fung, a Wong, and so forth, you will have your DNA tested and you will have this DNA published your surname listing. ( You have the right to keep it anonymous ) Then when other Carroll, Fungs, or Wongs decide to have their DNA tested they will also compare their DNA to the surname group to which they belong. This compaison is done automatically by the company and they provide you with a personal website with a login number and password.
I personally keep a website for my Carroll Surname group.
www.childtalk.com/History/carrollfamilydna.html
FamilyTreeDNA also maintain a website for each surname.
It is best to have the 37 marker test because there are 12, 25, 37, and 67 marker tests. Many people will be the same on the 12 marker but as you test for 25 and 37 this is not the case. If you have a 37 marker match and they have your surname you can bet that you are closely related. But then, also, if later the remains of famous members of your Clan are tested this will also be a means to compare your DNA. Caution, the testing is possible for men and women but the Surname Groups all measure against the male X chromosone because the dna passes in this manner from father to son. The male will also have an exact match of his mother's Y DNA. Women carry the y chromosone only but because of the worldwide use of the man's family surname the Surname groups only use the x chromosone. I really encourage people to consider DNA testing as one extra dimension for doing your Chinese genealogical research.
As mentioned by one writer, the test is a simple swab of the inner cheek. There is no blood, pain, or tears involved!! You can look at the DNA chart which I publish and see the colored lines. These are people who have matches who don't necessarily know each other. People who join the Genographic site can also join the Family Tree Project at no cost ( I think ).